A) The use of the Past Indefinite becomes obligatory with stative verbs.

She sipped her coffee and pulled a face. She thought it tasted horrible.

She was ill at ease, and he felt sorry for her. He wanted all her troubles

for himself at that moment.

b) The Past Indefinite may be used instead of the Past Continu­ous with certain durative verbs. They are to sit, to stand, to lie, to hang, to shine, to gleam, to talk, to speak, to wear, to carry, to walk and some others. In such cases the action as such is only named, and it is often the circumstances under which it takes place that are really important.

Barbara and Basil sat in the garden after lunch. The smoke from Basil's

cigar hung on the humid air.

The lights in the house were out, but a rising moon gleamed against one

window in the room where little Mary slept.

We went to the bus stop. The full moon shone down on the lightless blind-

faced street.

His hair was newly cut, he wore a stiff white collar, a bowler hat, a thin gold

watch-chain and other marks of respect­ability, and he carried a new umbrella.

He talked with acute intensity.

Her face was heavy: she spoke with deep emotion.

He walked between us, listening attentively to our conversation.

Note. Note that when we speak of inanimate things the Past Indefinite is the norm with

the verbs mentioned above.

On the table lay three rows of cards face upwards.

Outside, beyond the colonnade, the ground froze hard and the trees

stood out white against the leaden sky.

To express a future action viewed from the past. This use is found in reported speech and

Is structurally dependent. It occurs in clauses of time, condition and concession; the

Future-in-the-Past or modal verbs are usually used in the principal clause in this case.

He knew that she was determined to marry him, and would, if she thought

it useful, lie and cheat and steal until she brought it off.

The Past Indefinite may have a special form which is used for emphasis. This

Emphatic form is built analytically, by means of the Past Indefinite of the auxiliary

Verb to do followed by the infinitive of the notional verb without the particle to.The

Auxiliary is heavily stressed in this case.

I did insist on it.

He did participated in this conference.

THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

I. The formation of the Past Continuous Tense

1. The Past Continuous is formed by means of the Past Indefinite of the auxiliary verb to be and Participle I of the notional verb.

2. In the interrogative from the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject.

3. In the negative form the negative particle not is placed after the auxiliary verb.